ANRF ropes in IITs, NIT and IIM for ‘Convergence Research Centres of Excellence’ across archaeology, AI, rural development
3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: May 20, 2026 07:34 PM IST
The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) has announced the selection of 10 institutions under its new Convergence Research Centres of Excellence (CoE) programme. ANRF, under the Department of Science & Technology (DST), is a central body that funds and coordinates scientific research to grow India’s innovation across universities and industries.
According to the official statement issued, the programme seeks to create research hubs that integrate scientific and technological expertise with social and cultural understanding. The selected centres will work on themes ranging from archaeology and AI to rural livelihoods, labour markets, digital humanities, language research, and sustainable industry practices.
ANRF said the programme received 945 proposals from institutions across the country, highlighting strong interest from the academic and research community. The selected centres involve collaborations across universities, IITs, NITs, research institutes, private universities, and publicly funded organisations under different ministries.
List of institutes, and their focus areas
| Institution | Project title | Broad theme |
| Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar | Centre for Human-Climate Interactions and Environmental Histories (CHIEH) | Archaeology and Traditional Knowledge Systems |
| National Institute of Advanced Studies | Centre for Excellence in Archaeomaterials, Archaeometallurgy, Earth Sciences & Conservation Research | Archaeology and Traditional Knowledge Systems |
| Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras | SAṂYoga – Center for Sanskrit AI Music and Yoga | Archaeology and Traditional Knowledge Systems |
| National Institute of Technology (NIT) Agartala | AI-assisted Digital Curation and Global Promotion of North-East Indian Folklore | Digital Humanities |
| Institute for Human Development | Transformative AI and the Indian Labour Market | Digital Humanities |
| Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Dharwad | Centre of Excellence for Rural Livelihoods and Development | Rural Development |
| Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Jammu | Centre of Excellence on Digital Empowerment and Livelihood Development of Artisans | Rural Development |
| Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur | Centre for Research and Intervention in Language Performance | Health and Psychology |
| Chanakya University | Center for Languages and Lifeworlds | Emerging Technologies for Social Issues |
| PSGR Krishnammal College for Women | Framework to accelerate MSME transition towards sustainable technologies | Computational Economics |
The foundation said the programme is intended to promote ‘convergence research’, where multiple disciplines work together to solve real-world problems that cannot be addressed through a single field alone.
The selected Centres of Excellence will include principal investigators and co-investigators from nearly 20 collaborating institutions, including state universities, central universities, IITs, NITs, colleges, private universities, and recognised R&D institutions.